MorphologyMorphology

InflectionInflection

AgreementAgreement

I/You always sing/*sings the same I/You always sing/*sings the same song.song.

She always *sing/sings the same song.She always *sing/sings the same song.

Agreement paradigmsAgreement paradigms

ég heyr-I ‘I hear’ég heyr-I ‘I hear’ við heyr-um ‘we hear’við heyr-um ‘we hear’þú heyr-ir ‘you hear’þú heyr-ir ‘you hear’ þið heyr-ið ‘you(pl) þið heyr-ið ‘you(pl)

hear’hear’hann heyr-ir ‘he hears’hann heyr-ir ‘he hears’ þeir heyr-a ‘they hear’þeir heyr-a ‘they hear’(Icelandic)(Icelandic)

io cred-o ‘I believe’io cred-o ‘I believe’ noi cred-iamo ‘we believe’noi cred-iamo ‘we believe’tu cred-i ‘you believe’tu cred-i ‘you believe’ voi cred-ete ‘you(pl) voi cred-ete ‘you(pl)

believe’believe’lui cred-e ‘he believes’lui cred-e ‘he believes’ loro cred-ono ‘they loro cred-ono ‘they

believe’believe’(Italian)(Italian)

jeg hør-er ‘I hear’jeg hør-er ‘I hear’ vi hør-er ‘we hear’vi hør-er ‘we hear’du hør-er ‘you hear’du hør-er ‘you hear’ I hør-er ‘you(pl) hear’I hør-er ‘you(pl) hear’han hør-er ‘he hears’han hør-er ‘he hears’ de hør-er ‘they hear’de hør-er ‘they hear’(Danish)(Danish)

ek werk ‘I work’ek werk ‘I work’ ons werk ‘we work’ons werk ‘we work’jy werk ‘you work’jy werk ‘you work’ julle werk ‘you(pl) julle werk ‘you(pl)

work’work’hy werk ‘he works’hy werk ‘he works’ hulle werk ‘they hulle werk ‘they

work’work’(Afrikaans)(Afrikaans)

Object agreementObject agreement

Pe-fi-n Pe-fi-n iñche metawe.iñche metawe.

see-see-3singular-1singular3singular-1singular I vesselI vessel

‘‘I see the vessel’ I see the vessel’

(Mapudungun)(Mapudungun)

Subject/object Subject/object agreementagreement

with definite objectwith definite object no definite objectno definite object

singularsingular plural plural singularsingular pluralplural

1 1 szeret-em szeret-jükszeret-em szeret-jük szeret-ekszeret-ekszeret-ünkszeret-ünk

22 szeret-ed szeret-itekszeret-ed szeret-itek szeret-szszeret-szszeret-tekszeret-tek

33 szeret-i szeret-ikszeret-i szeret-ik szeretszeret szeret-nekszeret-nek

(Hungarian)(Hungarian)

Adjective-noun Adjective-noun agreementagreement

de koede koe het paardhet paard(Dutch)(Dutch)

de oud-e koede oud-e koe het oud-e paard het oud-e paard

een oud-e koeeen oud-e koe een oud paardeen oud paard

oud-e koeienoud-e koeien oud-e paardenoud-e paarden

More gender agreementMore gender agreement

Ov-aOv-a star-astar-a knjigaknjiga jejepal-a.pal-a.

thisthis-fem.sg-fem.sg oldold-fem.sg-fem.sg bookbook(fem.sg) (fem.sg) isisfallenfallen--

fem.sgfem.sg(Serbo-Croat)(Serbo-Croat)

bræður mín-irbræður mín-ir systur mín-arsystur mín-arbrothersbrothers mymy-masc.pl-masc.pl sisterssisters mymy-fem.pl -fem.pl

(Icelandic)(Icelandic)

MoodMood

indicativeindicative subjunctivesubjunctive

sgsg plpl sgsg plpl

1 1 dig-odig-o dec-imosdec-imos dig-adig-adig-amosdig-amos

2 dic-es2 dic-es dec-ísdec-ís dig-asdig-as dig-dig-áisáis

33 dic-edic-e dic-endic-en dig-adig-a dig-andig-an

(Spanish)(Spanish)

Imperative moodImperative mood

Clean your room right now!Clean your room right now!

TenseTense

PresentPresent PastPast

laudōlaudō ‘I praise’ ‘I praise’ laudā=bam laudā=bam ‘I praised’‘I praised’laudāslaudās ‘you praise’ ‘you praise’ laudā=bās laudā=bās ‘you praised’‘you praised’laudatlaudat ‘s/he praises’ ‘s/he praises’ laudā=bat laudā=bat ‘s/he praised’‘s/he praised’laudā=mus ‘we praise’laudā=mus ‘we praise’ laudābā=mus laudābā=mus ‘we ‘we

praised’praised’laudā=tis ‘you(pl) praise’ laudābā=tis ‘you(pl) laudā=tis ‘you(pl) praise’ laudābā=tis ‘you(pl)

praised’praised’laudant ‘they praise’laudant ‘they praise’ laudā=bant laudā=bant ‘they ‘they

praised’praised’

(Latin)(Latin)

FutureFuture Perfect Perfect

laudā=bō ‘I will praise’laudā=bō ‘I will praise’ laudā=vī laudā=vī ‘I have ‘I have praised’praised’

laudā=bis ‘you will praise’laudā=bis ‘you will praise’ laudāvístī ‘you laudāvístī ‘you have praised’have praised’

laudā=bit ‘s/he will praise’laudā=bit ‘s/he will praise’ laudā=vit ‘s/he has laudā=vit ‘s/he has praised’praised’

laudā=bimus ‘we will praise’laudā=bimus ‘we will praise’ laudā=vimus ‘we have laudā=vimus ‘we have praised’praised’

laudā=bitis ‘you(pl) will praise’ laudāvístis ‘you laudā=bitis ‘you(pl) will praise’ laudāvístis ‘you have praised’have praised’

laudā=bunt ‘they will praise’laudā=bunt ‘they will praise’ laudāvērunt ‘they laudāvērunt ‘they have praised’have praised’

Agreement on a non-finite verb:

Kellemetlen volt Jánosnak az igazságot bevalla-ni-a.

unpleasant was John the truth admit-inf-3sg

‘It was unpleasant for John to admit the truth.’

(Hungarian)

CaseCase

Der MannDer Mann gabgab der Frauder Frau den Hut. den Hut. (German)(German)

the manthe man gavegave the woman the hatthe woman the hat

DieDie FrauFrau gab dem gab dem Mann den Mann den Hut.Hut.thethe woman gavewoman gave the the man man

thethe hathat

DieDie FrauFrau sah sah den Mann.den Mann.thethe woman sawwoman saw the manthe man

der Hut [des Mann-es]der Hut [des Mann-es]the hat the-the hat the-gen gen man-man-gengen‘‘the man’s hat’the man’s hat’

Roughly:Roughly:the the nominativenominative case for subjects case for subjectsthe the genitivegenitive case for ‘possessors’ of another case for ‘possessors’ of another

nounnounthe the dativedative case for indirect objects case for indirect objectsthe the accusativeaccusative case for direct objects case for direct objects

singularsingular pluralplural

nominativenominative femin-afemin-a femin-aefemin-ae

genitivegenitive femin-aefemin-ae femin-arumfemin-arum

dativedative femin-aefemin-ae femin-isfemin-is

accusativeaccusative femin-amfemin-am femin-asfemin-as

(Latin)(Latin)

A bit more case...A bit more case...

1 Nominative1 Nominative talotalo house (subject) house (subject) (Finnish)(Finnish)

2 Genitive 2 Genitive talontalon of a house of a house3 Accusative3 Accusative talontalon house (certain direct objects)house (certain direct objects)4 Partitive4 Partitive taloataloa house (certain direct objects, certain house (certain direct objects, certain

subjects)subjects)5 Essive5 Essive talonatalona as a house as a house6 Translative6 Translative taloksitaloksi to a house (fig.) to a house (fig.) 7 Inessive 7 Inessive talossatalossa in a house in a house8 Elative 8 Elative talostatalosta out of a houseout of a house9 Illative 9 Illative taloontaloon into a houseinto a house10 Adessive 10 Adessive talollatalolla at a houseat a house11 Ablative 11 Ablative taloltatalolta from a housefrom a house12 Allative 12 Allative talolletalolle to a house (concr.)to a house (concr.)13 Abessive 13 Abessive talottatalotta without a housewithout a house

Ergative/absolutive case Ergative/absolutive case systemssystems

a.a. DerDer Mann Mann schlief.schlief. (German)(German) the-the-nom nom manman sleptsleptb. Derb. Der Mann Mann laslas denden Artikel. Artikel. the-the-nom nom manman readread the-the-acc acc articlearticle

a.a. ArnaqArnaq yurartuq.yurartuq. (Yup’ik)(Yup’ik) woman-woman-absabs dancesdancesb.b. AngutemAngutem tangrraatangrraa arnaq.arnaq. man-man-erg erg seessees woman-woman-absabs ‘ ‘The man sees the woman’ (NOT: ‘The woman sees The man sees the woman’ (NOT: ‘The woman sees

the man.’)the man.’)

What may happen if you don’t apply What may happen if you don’t apply agreement, mood and case inflection agreement, mood and case inflection properly:properly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbI-fDzUJXIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbI-fDzUJXI

AblautAblaut

*break-ed*break-ed brokebroke

*steal-ed*steal-ed stolestole

*sting-ed*sting-ed stungstung

*ring-ed*ring-ed rangrang

SuppletionSuppletion

*be-ed *be-ed *bong/*bung/*bang*bong/*bung/*bang waswas

*go-ed*go-ed *gong/*gung/*gang*gong/*gung/*gangwentwent

SyncretismSyncretism

I walk-ed, you walk-ed, she walk-ed, we I walk-ed, you walk-ed, she walk-ed, we walk-ed, you walk-ed, they walk-edwalk-ed, you walk-ed, they walk-ed

I rang, you rang, she rang, we rang, you I rang, you rang, she rang, we rang, you rang, they rangrang, they rang

I went, you went, she went, we went, I went, you went, she went, we went, you went, they wentyou went, they went

BlockingBlocking

Why do Why do wentwent and and goedgoed, or , or sangsang and and singedsinged, ,

not co-exist?not co-exist?

BlockingBlocking

A more specific form blocks a less A more specific form blocks a less specific form.specific form.

warmer, faster, quickerwarmer, faster, quicker

#more warm, #more fast, #more #more warm, #more fast, #more quickquick

*beautifuller, *comfortabler, *beautifuller, *comfortabler, *typicaller*typicaller

more beautiful, more comfortable, more beautiful, more comfortable, more typicalmore typical